Separable button attaching device



July 7, 19,53 A. M. ELLIS 2,644,209

SEPARABLE BUTTQN ATTACHING DEVICE Filed Feb. 14, 1950 INVENTOR.

4871/02 A4, ELL/S,

WZOMMAW 49mm Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STATES TATENT" oF IcE SEPARABLE BUTTON ATTACHING DEVICE Arthur M. Ellis, Knoxville, Tenn.

Application February 14, 1950, Serial No. 144,075

This invention relates to devices for attaching objects, such as buttons and ornaments, to fabrics, such as garment fabric, and more particularly to a separable fastening device for attaching a button or similar object to a garment so that the object can be attached and removed as desired.

It is among the objects of the inventionto provide a separable fastener device for detachably" securing an object, such as a button or ornament, to a garment which device includes a part that can be quickly and firmly attached to fabric and another part detachably secured to: the first part and permanently secured to the object so" that the object can be secured to and removed from the fabric as desired, which attaches the object to the fabric for freedom oftilting movement of the object relative to the fabric, and which is simple and durable in construction, easy to apply, and neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the: following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an attaching device illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is aside elevation of a portion of the or forming a somewhat modified form of attach-' ing staple; v

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the staple illustrated in Figure 7 v Figure 9 is a front elevationv of a staple formed from the blank illustrated in Figures 7 and 8;

Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the staple illustrated in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a transverse cross sectional View of a button showing one means of attaching the button to a staple;

Figure 12 is a cross sectional View similar to Figure 11 showing a different means for attaching the button to a somewhat modified form of staple;

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-107) 2 Figure 13 is a cross sectional view similar to Figures 11 and 12 but for showing means forattaching the button to a still further modified form of staple; v Figure 14 is a side elevation of. a button attach: ing assembly embodying the button attaching means illustrated in Figure 11; t Figure 15 is a front elevation of a still further modified form of button attaching staple; v

Figure 16 is a side or edge elevation of the staple illustrated in Figure 15; and

Figure 1'7 is a side elevation of a somewhat c modified form of button-attaching device, a 1301" tion being broken away and shown in cross section to better illustrate the construction thereof.

With continued reference to the drawing and particularly to Figure 4, the complete assembly comprises, in general, .afabri'cpiece [0 which maybe apart of a garment, a. hollow female member ll setpnthe fabric piece, a Washer 12 set on the sideof the fabric opposite the female member II and having prongs or teeth extending through the fabric and engaging the, female member to firmly and permanently attach the female member to the fabric, a hollow male member l3 detachably engaged in the female member H, a staple l4 permanently engaged at one end in the male member l3 and an object 15, such as a button-having a formation with which the staple I4 is engaged. g

The female memberl l and the washer l2 may be of well known or conventionalconstruction. The female member is a disc or washer shaped member having a centrally disposed upstanding boss l6 provided withan aperture and formed to provide resilient tongs l1 1 surrounding 'the aperture; and a marginal beaded or turned flange I8.' This member is conventionally formed of resilient cheap metal and may be plated or coated.

as desired, to giveit an ornamental appearance. The washer I2 is a ring shaped member of thin metal having a large aperture and tongs or prongs 19 extending from the inner side of the aperture inthe washer [2; to one side of the washer. These tongsmay be forcedthrough the fabric ill and engaged; in the beaded over flange ill of the I female member tofirmly and permanently attach cylindrical boss 22 extending to one side thereof and surrounding a central openingin the body.

portion 20. The end of theboss 22' is closed by overcome without the use of a suitable separating tool so that there will be nodanger'iofithe buttons or objects being accidentally lost by unintentional separation of the two components-of the separable fastener assembly.

The staple I4 may be formed from a suitable length of stiff wire and is bent intermediate its length to provide a rounded or circular loop or eyezfiand two'legsll and i28'WhiCh are'substantially parallel and coterminous. The legs are bent outwardly at their ends oppositeithe eye 25 to provide respectively twoflugs :29ia'nd 39 which-engage behindthe formation 24 ;in the male boss :22 tofirmlyirl'ock the staplein the male member.

The button I 5 is :a disc'shaped member having a marginal beaded .over flange-3 I and is provided near its'center with twoi =spacedtapart apertures 32 and 33 through which thelegs of the staple Hi ,may be passed so'tha't the loop or :eye 2510f the staple surrounds the bridge portioni34 of the button between the two openings or apertures 32 and the staple to the male member I3'but provides freedom of tilting movement of 'therbutton rela-v tive to the male member and the staple sothat the button can'be easily-manipulated.

The somewhat modified formsof staple 'illuse trated in Figures '5 and- 6 and generally :indicated at Ma is of the same construction as the staple B l except that it is'formed of a :piece have on its outer end a small detent 39. The,

blank 35 is bent to form the staple [4b in .the same manner as that in-which -the-wirelengths are bent to form [-4 and Ma and when bentprovides a staple having a substantially circular loop or eye 2'5b,-and;two parallel andicoterminous legs 27b and #231). Insteadaoftthe'. legs being bent outwardly at their ends to provide thelugs 2'9 and 39 'however'the twovlateral pro-r jections 3? and 38 on the blank -provide these projections, the blank "being bent 'with its fiatside inward so that' -the projections are .on'ithe outer sides of the legs-and extend away .from each'other. When thestaple 'Mb is inserted into the boss of the 'male'member iof .Lthe. separable fastener the lugs provided by the extensions 37 and 28 engage behind thez'formation 28 of .the boss and lock the staplein'the boss. If the detents -39 are provided, these'detents engage with theinn'er surface of the boss (if-the This construction permanently attaches the buttons to the stapleldfand through male member and provide an additional safety factor against accidentally pulling the staple out 'of the male member.

somewhat greater freedom of movement to the 'butt'onon'other object.

In Figure 11 there is illustrated a suitable formation for attaching a button to any one of the described staples.

In this arrangement the button [5b is formed of a suitable moldable material, such as hard rubber or synthetic resin plastic and a small metal ring 42 is set into the button-so that approximately one-half of the ring projects outwardly of the "button adjacent the center of the underside of the button. :Before the staple is-engaged in the boss=offthe male member'of the'separable fastener one of the staple legs ispassed through the ring 42 so that'the ring is-engaged inthe eye or loop of the staple.

In Figure '12 the button l-Bczmay beiformed of the same type of *material :as the button 151). In this case however the "button'is rigidly secured to the outer end iof-aistaple :orten'gue Md having one end engaged in thibOSS of the"mal e 7 member of the separable-fastener and having at its outer end a crossbar 43 embedded in-the' thesame materialor ofthe sam'e general shape as 'thebuttons illustrated in Figures 11 and 1 2. Inthis case'the staple-or 'tongue Me has one end secured in the boss of the'tmale member of the separable fastener in the manner" indicated. above and has :on its opposite endva ball formation 4d embedded in the material of the button substantially at the center of the buttonto firmly attach the button to 'the staple :or' tongue.

Figure 1-4 illustrates a complete' assembly u-tilizing the button H52) and thefstaple engaging formation ll2 illustratedin Figure'll. I

Figure 17 illustrates an arrangement which is modified to provide a 1engthened 'boss 22a for themale' member l Sa so that the female member I I --may be set under a piece-"of fabric 45, which may constitute a hem or flap, .and the boss of the male member engaged in the boss of the female -mernber through an-opening :35 provided in the extra piece offabric-45 interposed between .1. :Means TfOI' detachably :connecting a :button to apiece of fabric having a'fernale snap member securedthereonscomprising a male-snap-member having a hollow boss adapted to be releasably engaged in a complementary female member, said boss having an external annular groove and an internal annular formation intermediate its length, and a U-shaped staple adapted to extend at its closed end through the thread apertures in a button and being disposed at its open end in the boss of said male member 'with the end portions of its legs at the open end thereof divergently directed and engaged under said internal annular formation in said boss.

'2. Means for detachably connecting a button to a piece of fabric having a female snap member secured thereon comprising a male snap member having a hollow boss adapted to be releasably engaged in a complementary female member, said boss having an external annular groove and an internal annular formation intermediate its length, and a U-shaped staple having at its closed end an eye formation of substantially circular shape adapted to extend through the thread apertures in a button and being disposed thereof divergently directed and engaged under said internal annular formation in said boss.

ARTHUR M. ELLIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 298,464 I-Ialkyard May 13, 1884 1,519,487 Cooney Dec. 16, 1924 1,782,166 Ford Nov. 18, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 7 Date 544,467 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1942 

